Turning up at 5 King’s Bench Walk on a damp October morning in 1979 to begin my pupillage. Chambers was a totally new and unfamiliar world to me. Meeting with Sir Michael Havers (then the head of chambers and Attorney General) a year later when I got my tenancy. He told me to do what the clerks told me and not to spend all my time in El Vino’s.

Who has been the most influential person in your career? Why, and how have they helped you?

A number of senior silks who dominated the criminal bar in the 1980 and 1990s to whom I owe a great deal: David Cocks, Ann Curnow, Anthony Glass, Hubert Dunn, Anthony Arlidge, Derek Spencer, and (from a judicial perspective) Judges Andrew Brooks and Geoffrey Rivlin to name just a few.

What was the best career decision you ever made, and why?

To leave private practice at the criminal bar to head up the (then) new Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) in 2004, and again in 2012 to head the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do?

Have courage, take manageable risks, and get out of your comfort zone. Maintain your independence and integrity at all costs.

What work or career-related project or activity would you really like to do, but don’t have time for?

I cannot comprehend why on sitting the BPTC exams and failing one exam – which was later changed due to pressure – leaves potential barristers with no qualification whatsoever and a massive financial debt. All that hard work and knowledge but no recognition.